


Dollmaker

by alightintheshadows



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Parental Roy Mustang, Serial Killers, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alightintheshadows/pseuds/alightintheshadows
Summary: A serial killer from Roy's past has one last surprise before he's executed as a parting gift for the Colonel.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Roy Mustang & Team Mustang
Comments: 62
Kudos: 315
Collections: Fullmetal_Alquimist_myfanfic





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm finally back at it with posting some of my old fics on here. This one's short and sweet, but I hope you enjoy it! It's a bit Roy-centric, which was different for me, but I had a lot of fun with it!
> 
> I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Sir, you really shouldn't let a fifteen-year-old put you in such a bad mood."

Colonel Roy Mustang glanced at his First Lieutenant out of the corner of his eye. While her voice was stern, her eyes were alight with amusement. He grunted in response.

"I waited for over two hours, and he still didn't show! He didn't even answer my calls!" the Colonel tried to defend himself. "Aside from that, it's not like I want to be here."

He glanced around the dull walls of the prison as he and Hawkeye walked down the hall, the walls that sucked the life out of anyone unfortunate enough to pass by them. While his youngest subordinate failing to show up for his report did annoy him to no end, that was not the primary cause of his dreadful mood.

Hawkeye looked at him, her amusement quickly changing to sympathy.

"I don't blame you, sir."

There were very few people Mustang never wanted to see again, and he was just minutes away from an interrogation with one of them. He wasn't exactly thrilled. He and Hawkeye stopped before they reached the door.

Nathaniel Roe was waiting on the other side. Although, he was better known around East City as "The Dollmaker."

The Colonel had been on several missions throughout his military career, so many that most of them started to blur together. However, The Dollmaker case was certainly one he would never forget.

It had been five years since the man was caught, but Mustang still nearly shuddered at the mere thought of him.

Over the period of two months, fourteen teenagers had disappeared. There was no trace of where they had gone. None of them had anything in common except for the fact they were between the ages of twelve and seventeen and that they frequented East City's library.

Initially, that connection wasn't made. The victims were abducted in different parts of the city. The amount of time that passed between the disappearances didn't help either. As gruesome as it may have been, until there was a body, there was no indication of where they could have possibly been or what was happening to them. It wasn't until after the seventh teen disappeared that the thought even occurred that the cases were related. The seventh victim was a girl, only thirteen years old. Her corpse was found on a bench in front of the library.

Mustang wished he had never seen the pictures. All of her teeth had been extracted and she had been sliced from ear to ear. A demonic smile had been forcefully plastered on her face. The killer didn't bother to clean her up, so her face was a bloody mess.

What had disturbed Mustang the most was the fact that her eyelids had been removed. Her light blue orbs bored into his soul, even though it was only a picture.

The autopsy report revealed other disturbing discoveries. The girl's appendix had been removed. The initials "MR" had been carved on the bottom of her foot. Traces of atracurium and doxacurium chloride were found in her system, muscle relaxers and neural inhibitors. Whoever had abducted her wanted her sedated, but awake. According to the coroner, only the eyelid removal occurred post-mortem. The poor girl had been awake and felt every excruciating minute until her life had been ripped away from her.

The coroner brought the investigators' attention to the clothes the victim was found in. The dress she had been wearing was much too big for her, so it had been sewn to her skin so it wouldn't fall off. After military personnel talked to the girl's parents, they verified that the dress she was found in hadn't been the one she went missing in.

The killer had made his own clothes for the victim, probably before he even chose her.

Five more teens had disappeared and one of the bodies had been found before Mustang was given the mission to hunt this man down by Lieutenant General Grumman himself. Again, the victim wasn't found in the clothes he disappeared in. Someone had made them and dressed him up, as if he were a doll.

The public started referring to the person responsible as "The Dollmaker."

An aura of fear permeated East City. Parents were scared to even take their kids outside of their homes. They had to find this killer, and fast.

The day he was given the mission, another body had been found. However, this one was found inside the library. Several military officers had been hiding and watching the library, hoping to catch the man dumping the body. No one had seen a thing.

Mustang was called to the scene of the crime, the toothless, bloody smile of the young boy burning itself into his memory.

Investigations on the library staff were already underway. Since each victim went to the library quite often, it was safe to assume that was where the killer first met his victims. While the investigations weren't done yet, it didn't make sense. In order to remove the appendix, the killer had to have some sort of medical background. Also, a person that just worked at a library wouldn't have access to the drugs found in the victim's system.

Mustang demanded the records of anyone that checked out a book and when leading up to the victims' disappearances. There were a few names that matched the some of the dates leading up to the abductions, but there was only one name that matched every date of every victim.

Nathaniel Roe.

Or rather, Dr. Nathaniel Roe. Upon investigation, he discovered the man was a surgeon at the hospital in East City.

Despite the small victory of finally having a lead, two more teens had gone missing.

After sharing this discovery with his team, Hawkeye and Breda opted to follow him to the hospital to find Roe. He wasn't there, only further confirming him as a suspect. They decided to interview his coworkers.

Roe had become a bit distant since his mother, Meredith Roe, passed away two months previously. He wasn't near as chatty and was in a rush to leave the second work was done for the day. He had called in sick to work the past two days, which couldn't have been a coincidence concerning that two more teens had disappeared during that time.

After getting an address, Mustang led his team and other military personnel to Dr. Roe's residence.

The Colonel remembered that day all too well.

**_*flashback*_ **

_"Nathaniel Roe, open up!" Mustang yelled as he pounded on the door._

_He motioned for some officers to check around the back of the house. He poised his fingers, ready to snap at any given moment. The others had their weapons ready to fire. He kicked the front door in, allowing military personnel to swarm the house._

_Cautiously, they checked every room. There was no sign of Nathaniel Roe nor the missing teens. They searched every nook and cranny of the house._

_Mustang's eyes wandered to the lone rug in the living room while the others were still searching the rest of the house. He moved it, revealing a trapdoor. He yanked it open._

_An overwhelming, rotting stench assaulted his senses. Peering down, it was mostly dark except for a dull, flickering light._

_"Down here!" he yelled as he descended the stairs._

_He had to swat at the flies that nearly attacked him as he climbed down into the basement._

_Humming could be heard over his footsteps and the creaking of the stairs. The cheery tune clashed heavily with the dreadful atmosphere in the basement. Once he reached the bottom of the staircase, Mustang couldn't help but gape in horror at the sight before him._

_Against the wall sat nine of the missing teenagers, each with those disturbing, demonic smiles etched permanently on their faces. A few were already starting to decompose. Sadly, Mustang realized those were the ones that went missing in the beginning, before they had even connected the disappearances._

_He had been foolishly hopeful that they were still alive._

_Insects were crawling on them and in their gaping mouths. Those kids didn't deserve this._

_He had been in too much shock that he almost forgot why he was even there. Roe was carrying the tenth over to the wall to join the others. The deranged man seemed oblivious to Mustang's presence._

_"I know you don't like to pick favorites, mother, but I think you're going to love this one most!"_

_Mustang followed the man's gaze and found yet another corpse sitting in a rocking chair in a corner, surrounded by candles. He had the sick feeling that was his mother's body. He must have dug up her grave and brought it here._

_He almost didn't register the other footsteps coming down the stairs. His eyes were trained on the killer as he approached a table, lying on it was his latest victim. He picked up a scalpel._

_Mustang finally took action, forcing himself to overcome the nightmare before him that was too horrific to be real._

_He snapped, setting Roe's hand aflame. The killer dropped the scalpel and fell to his knees, desperately trying to put out the fire burning his hand._

_Mustang took this opportunity to tackle the man and wrestle him onto his stomach._

_"You can't do this! Her collection isn't finished!" Roe screeched as he was handcuffed._

_Mustang cruelly yanked him to his feet, another officer coming forward to help escort him out. He glanced at the table, seeing the fourteenth and final victim with a slash running from ear to ear._

_He swallowed thickly. They had been too late. Fourteen kids had disappeared in two months, and all fourteen had perished._

**_*end flashback*_ **

The Colonel actually shuddered. The sick man was waiting for him on the other side of the door before him.

Nathaniel Roe had never admitted anything during his trial, but he also didn't deny being guilty. In fact, the man hardly spoke. After his tantrum during his arrest, he didn't talk unless he had to. His face never betrayed any sort of emotion either.

His motive for why he killed his victims, or what made him choose them in the first place, remained a mystery. Mustang didn't even know why he dumped three of the bodies. No one could understand what would make him commit such evil acts, and no one ever would.

Given the extent of his crimes, he was given the death penalty. He had been on death row for the past five years. His execution date was approaching in a few weeks.

Mustang was surprised to get a call from Lieutenant General Grumman that morning with the news that Roe wanted to finally answer the infinite number of questions they had about the case. The killer said he would only answer if Mustang conducted this interview.

The Colonel didn't know what compelled him to agree, but he did. He would be lying if he said he wasn't at all curious, but he was willing to remain ignorant if it meant he never had to see Nathaniel Roe again.

However, there were fourteen families that never understood why their children had been cruelly ripped away from them. Perhaps, after this interview, they would finally had a bit of closure.

Hawkeye gave him a quick, reassuring grin. The two entered the interrogation room.

Roe, who had been staring intensely at the table, flickered his gaze to them as they entered.

"Well if it isn't the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang. I was expecting you a while ago. Was something holding you up?"

The killer's expression never changed, remaining as emotionless as ever. Mustang ignored his question. He was already annoyed that Ed didn't bother showing up for his report and he really didn't need the reminder. He threw the file he had been carrying down on the table as he and Hawkeye sat down. He just wanted this interview over with, so he got right down to business.

"When you were arrested, you said something about a collection. What did you mean?"

Roe's gaze returned to the table as he fiddled with the handcuffs around his wrists.

"My mother always liked dolls. When she died, she couldn't collect them anymore. I thought I would make some for her."

He said it as if it had been an obvious answer. Mustang's eyebrows raised. This guy was really off his rocker.

"What made you dump three of your victims, but not the rest?" he asked next.

"They were dolls, not victims," Roe said, tensing a bit and his eyes darkening, "Mother said she didn't like them, so I put them back where I found them."

The Colonel tried not to show it, but he was disturbed. He glanced at his First Lieutenant out of the corner of his eye. He could tell she was having the same problem.

"How did you choose your victims?"

The killer seemed to ignore him.

"You know what's interesting about dolls?" he began, "They're all so different. Their hair is different. If even two dolls have brown hair, one could have a light brown and the other could have dark brown. There are so many different kinds, it takes a long time to collect them all."

"How did you choose your victims?" Mustang asked again, annoyed.

"I think my favorite thing about my dolls were their eyes," Roe continued, "Each doll has their own story. I can see it in their eyes. There are so many different shades of blue, brown, and green...and each color is beautiful in its own way."

Asking the question a third time, it remained unanswered. That was it. Mustang was fed up with the man sitting in front of him. The killer asked for this interview and he was wasting the Colonel's time by spouting all of this nonsense. Roe kept mumbling to himself, not even acknowledging the two military officers.

"If you're not going to bother answering the question, I'm going to leave," he nearly yelled as he closed the file. He and Hawkeye stood up. "See you at your execution in a few weeks."

This did nothing to deter the killer from talking.

"I think my favorite eye color for my dolls is blue. It's such beautiful color. Although, you know what eye color none of my dolls ever had?"

Mustang didn't answer. He was almost to the door.

"Gold."

The Colonel's blood ran cold and he froze in his tracks. Even with his back to the killer, he knew there was a flicker of emotion on the man's face for the first time in five years.

"Tell me, Colonel, did Edward Elric come in today?"


	2. Chapter 2

Mustang slowly turned around and backed away from the door. He was right. Nathaniel Roe was smirking at him. The expression sent chills down his spine.

"What the hell did you just say?" he growled.

How dare this sick, twisted man even think of mentioning his youngest subordinate? Hawkeye put a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even realized he was reaching for his ignition gloves until she stopped him.

He never took his eyes off of Roe, but he could feel her worried gaze.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, did he come in today?" the killer repeated.

Anger welled within him. It grew with every silence-filled second that passed between the three in the room. However, a part of the Colonel knew that his anger was mostly there to cover something he didn't want anyone to know he ever felt.

Fear.

"Over the last five years, I've been asked a lot of questions," Roe said, breaking the silence. "How did I choose my victims? Why did I remove each one's appendix? Why did I extract all of their teeth? What motivated me to do any of it? However, no one asked probably the most important one: did I have a partner?"

Mustang's eyes widened. He mentally kicked himself. How could he not have thought of that? How did no one else in the military think of that either?

Roe looked rather amused, as if he could read all of the thoughts going through Mustang's mind.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't necessarily call him a partner. He's more like my apprentice. He was so eager to learn anything and everything I had to teach him. He wanted so much to make a doll of his own, but he could never find the right one…."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mustang demanded as he slammed his hands on the table, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

The dark chuckle that escaped the killer was all he needed to hear to confirm his thoughts.

"Lieutenant," he said to Hawkeye, "Call Fullmetal's dorm again. If he doesn't answer, call Havoc and tell him to check the library."

Hawkeye was reluctant to leave the Colonel alone with the killer, but her worry for Ed drove her to follow his orders.

"He's not going to be at either one of those places, Colonel."

Mustang brought his gaze back to Roe. He kept his composure. Until Hawkeye made that call or Havoc checked the library, there was no way to know for sure that Ed was missing. At least that was what he was wanting to believe. Either way, he couldn't let the man before him know that he was starting to get under his skin.

Although, given the look on Roe's face, it was probably too late for that.

He forced himself to calmly sit back down.

"Who's your apprentice?" he practically demanded.

Roe shook his head.

"I'm afraid I've already helped you too much."

The Colonel raised his eyebrows, wondering what Roe was talking about. The killer sighed, as if annoyed he had to explain.

"Do you remember how much time passed between me collecting a doll before I returned it?"

Mustang nodded.

Approximately twenty-four hours. Twenty-four agonizing hours those poor kids had to endure before they were killed and their bodies were dumped.

"I've helped you out enough by warning you," Roe continued, "I know for a fact that my apprentice has your subordinate. I had to prove that I'm the better man of the two of us."

Mustang couldn't help but stare at him incredulously.

"You're the better man?" he nearly laughed. "I'm not the one that tortured and killed fourteen teenagers, and you have the audacity to claim that you're the better man?"

"Just because my hobbies are different than yours doesn't automatically mean you're better than me, Colonel."

Mustang could hardly believe what he was hearing. He already knew this man was completely insane, but it was something else to actually see it.

"After all, you didn't give me the chance to finish my collection. I don't think you understand how upset that made me. I considered how upset you would be if you woke up tomorrow morning with my apprentice's doll on your doorstep. So, here I am, giving you a warning so you can try to save your subordinate. That's awfully nice of me, don't you think?"

The Colonel wasn't sure what disturbed him more: Roe thinking that he was actually being nice, or the fact that if he hadn't taken that phone call from Lieutenant General Grumman, there was a very real possibility that Ed would have been dead the next morning.

He was definitely leaning toward the latter.

"Sir," Hawkeye said as she opened the door, "He didn't answer. Havoc is on his way to the library now."

Mustang bolted up from his seat and left the room, motioning for his First Lieutenant to follow him.

"Get the sign-in sheet for visitors from the prison, going as far back as you can. I'm going to talk to the guards. Nathaniel Roe is not to leave that room or have any sort of contact with anyone until we find Fullmetal."

***break***

Ed wanted to go back to sleep, but the pounding in his head made that impossible. Why did his head hurt? He tried to remember.

What had he even been doing?

He had to turn in a report to Colonel Mustang. That's right. He had complained to Al all morning about it. He remembered leaving the library, walking through the familiar streets toward Eastern Command.

He remembered cutting through an alley, then something crashing down on his head. Everything went black after that.

He opened his eyes, which was no easy feat. His eyelids might as well have been glued shut. He had to force them to remain open, not sure if he could do it again if he let them close.

It was dim. He didn't know where he was, but it was dim. Dull, yellow-orange flickers danced across the ceiling, providing the only light in the room.

"There are those beautiful eyes of yours!" A voice boomed through the silence, not helping Ed at all with his pounding head. "I was beginning to think I might have hit you a little too hard."

The young alchemist wanted to turn his head toward the voice, but he couldn't. He couldn't move at all.

His eyes roamed around. A bag of fluid was hanging next to...whatever he was lying on. He didn't know. A table, perhaps? A small tube ran from the bag to his flesh arm. He supposed it was an IV drip, and whatever it was filled with was the reason he couldn't move.

He didn't want to admit it, but panic was slowly starting to set in. If he couldn't move, he couldn't fight. He couldn't defend himself. He couldn't even see his attacker. However, that problem didn't last for long.

Two hands grabbed his face, stroking his bangs out of his eyes.

He was shocked by how young the man looked. He couldn't be any older than his mid-twenties, dark brown hair coming down near his shoulders. Ed couldn't see his face very well due to the lack of real lighting. Flickers of light danced across his face, just like the ceiling.

"I don't think I've ever seen one with golden eyes," the man said, tilting his head to the side.

His hands traced down Ed's face, to his neck, stopping at his bare shoulders. Wait, where was his shirt?

Ed wanted to get away from this creep, but it felt as if lead was coursing through his veins instead of blood. His limbs felt heavy. He probably couldn't move them if he were physically capable, especially the metal limbs.

The man's fingers lingered at his right shoulder, where the automail met flesh. He smiled, his white teeth practically glowing in the dark.

"Some might call you a broken doll," he said, fascinated with the automail, "But I think you're beautiful. I would even consider you special edition."

Doll? What the hell did this freak mean by doll? He left Ed's line of sight, only causing the panic to increase within him. He had no idea what this guy was up to. He didn't want to know, and he really didn't want to find out.

He heard the man rummaging around, humming as he did so. Ed hadn't expected to hear the cheery tune. It contrasted with the dark atmosphere that he could feel all throughout the room. The creepy man reappeared.

His now gloved hands held up a scalpel.

"He's going to absolutely love you once you're finished," he muttered.

Ed felt the scalpel digging into the bottom of his right foot. He didn't wince in pain. He couldn't. Blood trickled down his foot, but the pain intensified as the deranged man dug the scalpel even deeper, carving something into his foot.

He needed to get away. He had to get out of here, but he couldn't.

For the first time in a very long time, he didn't have any sort of plan.

For the first time in a very long time, he was terrified.

***break***

Hawkeye sped through the streets of East City. It seemed to take an eternity for them to finally arrive at the library. They both jumped out of the car.

Havoc and Al were waiting outside the library for them. Havoc held the trademark red coat, and Mustang's heart sank. He had a small sliver of hope that he would arrive at the library and see Ed standing there with his brother and the Second Lieutenant.

He had been hoping that Nathaniel Roe had been wrong.

"I'm sorry, Boss," Havoc said, "We searched the surrounding area for any sign of him. We found this a few blocks away in an alley."

The Second Lieutenant gestured to the red coat. Mustang would give anything for that coat's original owner to be there with them. He knew Havoc had called and said Ed wasn't at the library. He knew Ed wouldn't be there when he arrived. Actually being there made Roe's threat completely real.

The sound of slamming car doors got his attention. Breda, Falman, and Fuery arrived at the library. Mustang realized Havoc must have called the rest of the team after he called Hawkeye back at the prison. The tense aura surrounding the approaching military officers told him Havoc already briefed them.

"Colonel," Al spoke up for the first time since he arrived, "Where's my brother?"

Mustang faced the younger Elric. It killed him inside that he didn't have an answer.

"I don't know, Alphonse, but I promise we will find him. He's going to be fine."

The suit of armor nodded, but Mustang couldn't help but worry Al had a little too much faith in him. He turned to the rest of his men.

"I think it's safe to say Roe's apprentice met Ed and Al here at the library, much like Roe met his own victims," Mustang began. He passed out copies of the list of visitors from the prison. "Havoc, Breda, Fuery, investigate the staff. Hawkeye, Falman, and I will talk to the librarian and check her records. The second anyone finds anything, let me know."

And work quickly. That was the unspoken demand. Everyone on Mustang's team knew about the Dollmaker. Even Fuery, who hadn't been on his team at the time. They all knew how twisted and demented that man was. None of them wanted to believe that anyone else wanted to learn from him and to do what he did.

Maybe that's why Mustang hadn't considered the idea the man had help. He didn't want to believe there was someone else out there as evil as Nathaniel Roe.

Unfortunately, there was, and that man had Ed.

The clock was ticking, and it was ticking much too fast for the Colonel's liking.


	3. Chapter 3

Could the librarian be any slower? That certainly didn't seem possible. Mustang's grip on the edge of the counter before him tightened so much he thought he might break off a piece of the wood. In reality, the young woman was probably gathering all of the information as fast as she could.

For him, it wasn't fast enough.

Once she returned with the records they requested, Falman, Hawkeye, and Mustang quickly searched through them. Pictures and names of the visitors along with the library's records were scattered everywhere, the three military officers desperately looking to find who could have taken their youngest comrade. Unfortunately, none of the names from the records matched the list of visitors on the days that Ed and Al had been at the library. Dread pooled in the Colonel's stomach. He had been so certain that Roe's apprentice would follow in his master's footsteps. He honestly didn't know where they would begin their search if they didn't find a lead here.

He scanned through the multitude of papers again in case he missed something when Breda interrupted him.

"Colonel, the guy we're looking for isn't on staff, but several members of the staff have reported seeing him at the library quite frequently," he said as he pointed to the picture of a young man with shoulder-length brown hair. According to the prison's records, his name was Andrew Kent. "He must have given the prison a fake name and identification. The library staff know him as Joseph Haken. He's currently in medical school and comes here to study almost every day."

Mustang's eyes widened. Roe had been a doctor. This had to be his apprentice. Sure enough, he checked out a book every day Ed did for the past month with a gap in the week that Ed had been on his mission. He felt slightly relieved. They at least knew who their suspect was.

Finding him was going to be their next challenge.

***break***

Ed hated not being able to move. He hated not being able to say anything. Most of all, he hated feeling helpless and defenseless.

He could still feel the streams of blood trickling down the sole of his foot. He wasn't sure what his captor did to it, and he was sure he didn't want to know. All he knew was that it hurt. His captor had disappeared a while ago, leaving Ed alone with only his thoughts for company.

He was freezing. Without a shirt, there was nothing for him to fend off the cold. He really wished he had his red coat.

Actually, he wished he wasn't even in this situation to begin with.

The only thing that comforted him was knowing that wherever he was, Al wasn't with him. There was no possible way this man could abduct a suit of armor. He attacked Ed from behind, meaning he was too scared to actually face him. The man also seemed to be working alone. There was no way he could handle both alchemists.

Although, Al was probably worried sick about him. He didn't know how long this creep had kept him here. What scared him most was that he didn't have the slightest idea of how to get out. He couldn't remove the IV, so he couldn't stop whatever was flowing through his veins.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard creaking. While he couldn't look, he knew his captor had returned. He could hear the footsteps coming toward him. He wondered what the man could be doing when he was momentarily blinded by an onslaught of light.

He settled for closing his eyes. He couldn't turn his head away. A few moments passed before he tried opening them again. That was a mistake. The light was shining directly on him. He assumed his captor had brought a lamp into the dimly lit room.

He could hear the man fiddling with his tools. Considering what happened to his foot, Ed wasn't sure if he wanted to know what this creep was looking for. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pleasant for him. He could feel his captor looming over him. He gently pried Ed's eyes open.

"Your eyes are so beautiful," he mumbled, "I can't wait to see them filled with pain and agony. Master says that's what makes a perfect doll."

Master? Apparently there was another guy like this creep. Ed hoped he wouldn't have to meet him.

He felt something cold along his lower right abdomen. Suddenly, he felt extremely vulnerable. The desire to curl up into a ball so he didn't feel so exposed was strong within the young alchemist. His captor ran a cloth over one of his scalpels.

"You can never be too careful," he said to himself as he disinfected the piece of metal.

Ed's eyes clenched shut as the scalpel cut into his skin. He didn't want to see what was being done to him.

"We can't have that, now can we?"

Once again, his captor pried his eyes open. This time, they remained that way. Tape held his eyes open, preventing him from blocking out what his captor was doing.

He saw the scalpel cut even deeper into his lower right abdomen. His captor's gloved fingers digging even deeper into the wound, as if he was trying to open it even further. He took a pair of forceps and a pair of long, thin scissors and dug into the wound.

He was searching for something. Ed didn't know what. If he could scream, he would have. Not so much from pain as automail surgery had gotten him used to that. He would have screamed from the sheer horror of feeling his captor's fingers and tools moving around inside of him.

The pain slowly turned into agony as the man seemed to find what he was looking for. Slowly, he extracted something from Ed's abdomen. Things were moving inside of him, things that most certainly shouldn't have been. It must have taken an eternity, but he got what he wanted out of Ed.

The teen didn't have a choice but to stare in terror at the small mass in his captor's hands. He knew enough about human anatomy to know what it was, but he didn't want to believe it.

His appendix had just been removed.

His eyes drifted toward the ceiling and they remained there. In shock, he didn't even realized the man had set the organ aside and he grabbed a needle and thread. In shock, he barely even felt himself being stitched back up by blood red hands.

***break***

Hawkeye drove like a maniac through the streets of East City with Havoc doing the same in the car behind him.

"I'm surprised you didn't let Al come along," she commented, trying to ease the tension between the two in the car. "You know he's going to be upset about that."

The Colonel sighed. After obtaining Joseph Haken's address, he ordered Fuery to do whatever it took to keep Al at the library. He and Hawkeye had jumped in the car and took off. Havoc, Breda, and Falman were just a beat behind them.

"You know what Roe did to those kids, Lieutenant. Al's too young and doesn't need to see that."

Mustang knew he had roughly twenty-four hours before Ed's time was up. However, he knew the torment each of Roe's victims suffered. Ed had only been missing for a few hours, so he hoped nothing had happened to the kid yet.

He was also well aware that might not be the case. Al didn't need to see what his brother was suffering through when they found him, and he knew Ed wouldn't want Al to see him like that anyway.

His First Lieutenant didn't say anything else until they arrived at Haken's residence. The Colonel began barking orders as soon as his men were out of the cars.

"Havoc, Falman, you two take the back. Breda, Hawkeye, you both are with me. Everyone, take the shot the second you get the chance. If you can't, do whatever the hell it takes to get this psychopath away from Fullmetal. Now move!"

Havoc and Falman sprinted around the back of the small house. Ignition gloves on and fingers poised to snap, Mustang kicked the front door in. Guns at the ready, Hawkeye and Breda each searched the first rooms they came across. They could hear Havoc and Falman entering through the back. Mustang scanned around for any sign of Ed or Haken.

It was a small house in the first place and it was only filled with the essentials. Unlike Roe, Haken didn't hide anything, like a trapdoor to the basement. After searching, they quickly realized there wasn't one. They checked every single room again.

Joseph Haken wasn't there, and neither was Ed.

***break***

_A single tear rolled down his cheek, then a multitude followed. He couldn't hold back the sobs any longer._

_"Why are you crying?"_

_He jumped. He thought he had been alone. He looked over his shoulder to find someone standing just behind him. The man looked quite a bit older than him, but kind. Not wanting to be rude, he tried to answer. However, the sobs just wouldn't stop._

_He looked back at the grave before him. The man's gaze followed his._

_"Were you a friend of hers?" the man asked._

_He nodded._

_"She was my s-sister. The only real f-friend I ever had."_

_The man smiled sympathetically._

_"What's your name?" he asked next._

_"J-J-Joseph," he stammered._

_"Well, Joseph, I'll be your friend." He nodded to the object in his hands. "What do you have there?"_

_He glanced down to the doll in his hands. He wiped the tears from his eyes._

_"It was her favorite when she was a kid. She said it was her favorite because I made it for her. Sometimes, I would still catch her sleeping with it. I thought she would be upset if she didn't have it."_

_He gently set the doll on the grave._

_"I don't really have friends. Most of my classmates make fun of me because I tried to make dolls for her."_

_The man put a comforting hand on his shoulder._

_"It's a beautiful doll," he commented. "I can see why it was her favorite. I make dolls of my own. Would you like to see them?"_

_He turned to face the man fully. He nodded. He extended his hand out to the man to shake._

_"I would love to, sir. Might I ask what your name is?"_

_The man's smile grew as he shook the teen's hand._

_"Nathaniel."_

"Ouch!" Joseph hissed as the water burned his skin.

He hadn't meant for it to get that hot. He finished washing his hands. As he dried them, he thought back to his newest doll just waiting for him downstairs. His master would be so proud. He successfully completed his first appendectomy without him.

His master had been right. The pain and agony etched in those golden eyes made them absolutely gorgeous. The tinges of terror and horror speckled within them only added to the effect.

However, he still had a lot of work to do before he made the perfect doll.

This wasn't just any doll. It was being made special for Roy Mustang.

He remembered it bitterly how his master had asked him to go out and get more thread. He had been close to running out and didn't want to risk not being able to sew on the clothes to his newest doll. When he had returned, military personnel were swarming his master's house. He had no other option but to run home and hide.

He remembered reading the praises to the Flame Alchemist for catching the elusive "Dollmaker" in every newspaper the following day. Why were they praising him? He didn't understand.

The Flame Alchemist had taken his master from him.

The Flame Alchemist had taken away the man that helped him feel connected to his younger sister.

He had taken away the man that made him feel like he had a purpose again.

Joseph shook his head. He made his way back toward the basement. He still had work to do. He still had to make Nathaniel proud.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dammit!" Mustang swore as he pounded his fist against the wall.

Upon not finding anything at Haken's residence, he and his men decided to check Roe's old house. After checking to see who might be currently living there, they learned that it was vacant. That actually wasn't too much of a surprise. No one would want to buy a house that belonged to a serial killer.

He thought this would have been the perfect place for Haken to take his youngest subordinate. He was wrong.

"We're going to find him," Havoc tried to comfort him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Despite his words, the Second Lieutenant looked worried. Mustang looked around at his men, and all of them seemed concerned. None of them were wanting to say it, but they didn't have any other leads to really go on. Joseph Haken could be anywhere in East City. There was no way they could search the entire city in time to find Ed alive.

Mustang nodded. He had to focus and remain hopeful. Ed's life was on the line.

"We need talk to some of Haken's classmates," he suggested, "They might know where he might be. Havoc, ride with Hawkeye and me. The rest of you, go on ahead. We'll be right behind you."

Saluting, his men made off toward the cars. Once he, Havoc, and Hawkeye got into their car, his eyes widened. He took the Dollmaker file and rapidly searched through the papers.

"Sir?" Hawkeye questioned.

"Roe said he made his dolls for his mother," he said as he flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for, "His mother's death is what triggered him to start killing. Maybe her house represents the beginning of Roe's practice. There's a chance that's where Haken took Fullmetal."

"Should we notify the others?" Havoc asked as he looked out the car window.

The car with Falman and Breda was already driving off. However, it didn't matter. The Colonel shook his head.

"No. In case I'm wrong, they can at least be making some progress on finding Haken and Fullmetal."

Finding the address he was looking for, he showed it to Hawkeye. Immediately, she started the car and drove off.

"I hope you're right, sir," she muttered.

"Me too," Mustang mumbled under his breath.

He really hoped he was right, for Ed's sake.

He didn't know how he was going to live with himself if he let anything happen to that kid.

***break***

Haken smiled as he took out the tie keeping his doll's hair in a braid. He couldn't help himself. He ran his fingers through the blond locks, relishing in the fear present in the most stunning pair of eyes he had ever seen. Those eyes were boring into him, watching his every move. The flickers of the candlelight dancing across his face made him seem even more beautiful.

This would be his greatest creation. He didn't have a choice. It had to be.

Roy Mustang's doll had to be perfect.

He never thought he would be making a doll for the Flame Alchemist, but he was ecstatic that he had this opportunity to do so. He had to show his appreciation to Mustang for taking away his master. With his master's execution approaching, he didn't think he would have this chance before his master was gone.

He didn't think he would ever find someone so young that Roy Mustang cared about.

He closed his eyes and sighed, gratefully remembering the day he got his chance to make his master proud.

**_*flashback*_ **

_They were here. Again. He walked through the aisles of books, eyeing a blond teenager and a suit of armor sitting at a table off by themselves. He had come to see the two quite frequently. Then he wouldn't see them for a couple of weeks at a time. He never knew what they were doing here, but they were so engrossed in what they were doing that they rarely looked up from their books._

_He couldn't help but think of his master. He had only gotten a glimpse of the boy's eyes, but he would never forget them. They were gold. Nathaniel would have wanted him, but Nathaniel wasn't here._

_He walked by their table, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye._

_The boy had fallen asleep on the book he had been reading. From the looks of it, his face was flushed. Perhaps he wasn't feeling well._

_"What's wrong with Fullmetal?"_

_He ducked behind the nearest shelf. It couldn't be…._

_"Oh! Hello, Colonel!" the suit of armor greeted, "Brother's sick. I tried to convince him to go back to the dorms and rest, but he insisted on coming here and doing more research."_

_The raven-haired man chuckled to himself. After getting a better look at the man, there was no mistaking it. It really was him. He saw the pictures in the paper after his master had been arrested. He could hardly believe he was looking at the Flame Alchemist._

_"That doesn't surprise me," Mustang responded, "Well a couple of papers fell out of the file I gave your brother for his mission. I figured I could find you two here and give them to him before you leave tomorrow." He paused and tilted his head slightly. "But it looks like you'll need to wait a few days until he's feeling better."_

_There's no way that was the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was just a kid. The suit of armor took the papers from Mustang._

_"Thank you, Colonel. I'll tell brother you stopped by and try to convince him to rest for a couple of days."_

_The suit of armor turned his attention back to what he had been reading previously. Mustang turned to leave, but found himself turning back around almost immediately._

_"Do you boys need a ride back to the dorms?" he asked, his eyes wandering to the sleeping teen._

_"Uh...yeah...is it any trouble for you?" the hollow voice trailed off._

_Mustang grinned._

_"Not at all."_

_He moved to collect the books and return them. The suit of armor moved toward the kid. The second the metal touched his shoulder, the kid flinched and shivered a bit. The metal must have seemed extremely cold to him. The boy must be running a fever. Mustang obviously noticed._

_"Al, why don't you put the books away," he said, "My car's out front. Meet me there."_

_The suit of armor, which must have been Al, nodded and gathered the books in his arms. Once he was gone, Mustang looked at the teen and sighed. A fond smile took over his face._

_"What am I going to do with you, Fullmetal?" he questioned to himself._

_As gently as he could, he picked up the sleeping teen. The boy curled closer against Mustang's chest, sensing a new source of warmth. The Colonel carried him away and out of the library._

_He almost couldn't believe it. He had heard about the Fullmetal Alchemist. Almost everyone in East City had. However, he didn't know that he was just a kid or, from what he just gathered, under Roy Mustang's command._

_He would have to pay Nathaniel a visit soon. So far, his master had told him not to make any dolls. He might make an exception now._

**_*end flashback*_ **

He grabbed some pliers. He opened the kid's mouth, using the pliers to latch onto one of the molars at the very back of his mouth.

"Master said that starting at the back hurt the most," he reminded himself.

Even though they were still taped open, he could have sworn the kid's eyes widened even more. He yanked the tooth right out of it's socket. While the young alchemist couldn't change his facial expression, he knew he was in pain.

"One down, thirty-one more to go."

***break***

Upon arriving to the late Meredith Roe's residence, all three military officers knew something was wrong. There were two cars in the driveway, but all the lights were off. If it wasn't so early in the evening, this wouldn't have been too unusual.

The Colonel knocked on the door. There wasn't an answer.

Weapons ready, Mustang kicked the door down. He, Hawkeye, and Havoc split up so they could cover the house a bit faster.

Hawkeye searched what must have been the guest room. After finding it clear, she left to search the master bedroom. Havoc had already beat her there, but seemed to be in shock. She followed his gaze.

A man and woman were on the bed, their throats having been slit. These must have been the owners of the house.

"Colonel!" she called.

A few seconds went by with no response. She poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Colonel?" she called again.

Mustang didn't hear his First Lieutenant calling for him. He stood in a doorway, staring down into the dark basement. This scene felt all too familiar. He quietly descended down the staircase.

Much like when he arrested Roe, the only light was provided by candles. He tried to adjust to the darkness as quickly as possible. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was enraged at the sight before him.

Joseph Haken was hovering over his subordinate. There was something in his hand, but it was too dark for him to make out what. He turned away from Ed for a second, and there was a tiny clink.

"One down, thirty-one more to go."

No...he couldn't be extracting Ed's teeth…..

Mustang was barely aware of his own actions, but he knew they were fueled by pure anger. How dare this man hurt his subordinate like this?

"Get the hell away from him!" he roared as he charged toward Roe's apprentice.

He got just a glimpse of the man's surprised face before he tackled him to the ground.

"No! You aren't supposed to be here! Your doll isn't finished!" Haken screeched, trying to fight back.

Mustang was not having that. He straddled Haken, punching him until he was nearly unconscious. When Haken had blood pouring out of his nose, his eyes were glassy, and his head was lolling to the side, the Colonel decided that he'd had enough.

While he wanted to do worse to this guy for even thinking about touching his subordinate, he knew the military would probably want him interrogated as soon as possible.

He grabbed the edge of the table nearest to him to help hoist himself back up. His brow furrowed when he felt something squish underneath his hand and make his glove wet. Once he was on his feet again, he nearly collapsed back down to his knees and his stomach lurched.

A light pink mass was on the table, drenched in blood. He turned his eyes to Ed. Even with the dim lighting, he could see the stitches on the kid's lower right abdomen. He looked down at his blood-soaked glove, then back at the table.

He couldn't stop himself from vomiting.

He initially thought that was odd. He had seen the corpses of Roe's victims and that hadn't affected him this much. Of course, as bad as it might sound, he didn't know those kids. They never meant anything to him personally.

Edward Elric did.

Knowing that Ed had to have his appendix removed while he was still conscious was honestly too much for him. He couldn't imagine how scared Ed must have been or how much pain he was in.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his clean glove. Looking down on Roe's apprentice with murderous eyes, he lifted his hand with his fingers poised to snap. All hesitations he had previously were nonexistent. This man had tortured his youngest subordinate and he needed to pay.

"Sir."

He felt a hand on his arm, slowly lowering it back down. He looked behind him to see Hawkeye. When had she gotten there? He didn't hear her coming down the stairs.

"Please don't do this," she continued, "Ed's already scarred enough. Don't make him see this too. Havoc and I will take care of Haken. Ed needs you right now."

The Colonel sighed. As usual, Hawkeye was right. He heard Havoc's footsteps making their way down the stairs. He let Haken be, knowing Havoc and Hawkeye would deal with him.

He then turned his attention to the young alchemist. Ed was so...still. He cautiously approached the table Ed was lying on. The kid's shirt was gone. His shoes were too, leaving him in only his leather pants to fend off the coldness of the basement. He had to be freezing.

Much to his horror, Ed's eyes were taped open. Those golden eyes stared at the ceiling, unmoving.

It actually looked like the kid was dead.

"Ed," he breathed, barely audible to even his own ears.

He had read the reports, so he knew Ed wasn't dead. All of Roe's victims suffered through so much more before they were killed. However, that didn't stop the worries and fears that swarmed around in his mind.

The Colonel hesitantly reached out to gently place his hand on Ed's chest. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he felt Ed's heartbeat. Golden eyes flickered in his direction at his touch.

Despite how he might have looked, Ed was definitely alive.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Ed."

Although Ed couldn't move, Mustang could see relief in his eyes.

He carefully removed the tape keeping Ed's eyes open. Once they closed, they remained that way. He then moved to Ed's flesh arm, removing the IV that Haken had inserted. He swallowed thickly when he saw the amount of blood pooled around his stomach.

His took off his military jacket. With a little bit of difficulty, he managed to sit Ed up and wrap the jacket around his shoulders. Keeping an arm around the kid's back, he moved the other one under his knees so he could carry him. Ed's head lolled against his shoulder as he walked toward the stairs.

"Everything's going to be okay, Ed. I've got you. You're safe."

The Colonel wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to reassure the young alchemist. Maybe it was just him. He knew exactly what Roe's victims had suffered through. Ed had almost met the same fate. Maybe he was just reminding himself that he actually saved his subordinate.

While Ed would never admit it, those words brought more comfort to him than the Colonel would ever understand. Completely exhausted, he allowed himself to drift off in Mustang's comforting arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Ed groaned as he tried to open his eyes. The temptation to sink back into the darkness that offered him rest was strong. If he stayed in the darkness, there wouldn't be any pain.

"I think he's waking up! Brother, can you hear me?"

Was that Al? Al wasn't here. He couldn't be. Knowing that Al was okay and out of that creep's clutches were his only sources of comfort.

However, something was off. He was lying on something soft. That couldn't be right. He had been lying a table before. The fact that he had actually groaned was odd as well. Before, he couldn't make a sound. He wasn't able to move at all. What happened?

He heard the sound of a door opening.

"Colonel, Haken's arrived at the prison. As you requested, Nathaniel Roe won't be made aware of his arrest yet."

Colonel? He was here too? That was a woman's voice, so that had to be Lieutenant Hawkeye. What were they all doing here?

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he heard Mustang respond.

Then he remembered.

_"Everything's going to be okay, Ed. I've got you. You're safe."_

It took Herculean effort, but he opened his eyes. Instead of seeing that creep looming over him, he was greeted with Al and the Colonel hovering over him instead. Lieutenant Hawkeye stood just behind Mustang. The room was a bright white color, so he deduced he was in East City's hospital.

"Brother, you're awake!" Al exclaimed.

"How are you feeling?" Mustang asked.

Ed glanced from the overjoyed suit of armor to the Colonel. The man actually looked concerned, but relieved.

He became aware of the dull ache in his stomach and back of his mouth. The bottom of his flesh foot still hurt slightly. He must have been given some sort of medication to reduce the pain. It did, but it unfortunately didn't take it all away. However, he didn't want to let anyone know he was in pain...or shaken up for that matter.

"I'm all right," he answered, his voice a bit raspy.

He tried to sit up. The pain must have been evident on his face because the corners of Mustang's mouth quirked into a frown. The Colonel and Al helped Ed sit up and lean back against the pillows. Mustang and Hawkeye moved to sit in the chairs next to Ed's bed,

"It's good to see you're okay, Edward," Hawkeye spoke up. "I know you probably have some questions."

Ed swallowed and nodded.

"Who was he?"

Mustang and Hawkeye glanced at each other.

"His name was Joseph Haken," the Colonel began. "He was the apprentice of the Dollmaker. Have either one of you boys heard of him?"

Both Elrics shook their heads. Mustang hadn't expected them to. They were so young when Nathaniel Roe went on his murder spree. He really didn't want to tell either one of the boys much about him.

Hell, he wanted to forget the man even existed himself. However, he knew Ed would want to know what happened to him and why.

"Five years ago, he abducted fourteen teenagers, tortured them, and murdered them. He turned each of them into what he considers to be dolls. I helped track him down and arrest him. His execution is coming up in a few weeks, so his apprentice decided now would be a good time to make one last doll for his master to see."

Mustang could see the understanding formulating in Ed's eyes.

"That explains why he kept referring to me as a doll," the teen muttered. "So the apprentice or whatever went after me because you were the one that arrested the Dollmaker?"

Mustang nodded. His subordinate was a smart kid. It didn't take him long at all to figure that out. Ed looked a little relieved, but still uncomfortable.

"Why couldn't I move?"

"Roe sedated his victims with a neural inhibitor and muscle relaxant so they couldn't move," Hawkeye answered.

"Oh."

Ed glanced at his brother, then quickly looked away and bit his lip. Mustang's brow furrowed. Something was definitely bothering him, but he could tell the older Elric didn't want to ask or say anything in front of Al. The Colonel looked to his First Lieutenant. She seemed to have noticed the same thing. She nodded to him, following an unspoken request.

"Alphonse, why don't you come with me and we'll find Ed something to eat?" she suggested.

Al looked between her and his brother, unsure of what to do. He settled for going with Hawkeye, following her out of the room. Ed let out a shaky breath the second his brother was out the door. He refused to meet Mustang's gaze, staring down at his lap.

"You got him, right?"

The Colonel moved closer to the young alchemist. Ed finally looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, Ed. We got him. Joseph Haken is in prison and will remain there for a very long time. He won't be able to touch you again."

Ed took another shaky breath and nodded. Mustang barely got a glimpse of his bottom lip trembling before the teen buried his face in his hands.

"I was so scared," Ed said, although it was slightly muffled by his hands, "I couldn't move. I couldn't fight him. I didn't know what he was going to do to me. I was so scared that I was going to die."

A few tears leaked past Ed's hands.

Someone might as well have stabbed the Colonel through the heart with a butcher knife. He didn't blame the kid at all for breaking down. He couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been. Haken made him feel defenseless and scared, and Mustang would never forget that. Ed shouldn't have had to suffer through that.

Hesitantly, he moved to sit on the bed next to his subordinate. He pulled Ed into a hug. He felt extremely awkward, but he didn't know what else to do to comfort the kid. The young alchemist stiffened at the sudden contact, but made no move to push him away.

"I'm so sorry this happened, Ed. I can assure you, Joseph Haken will pay for what he did to you."

That was one hundred percent the truth. The Colonel was going to do everything he could to make sure that man received the maximum punishment for torturing his subordinate.

Ed finally relaxed in the embrace. He hastily wiped the tears from his face, but more just kept coming.

"Sorry," he apologized with a shaky laugh, "I'll stop crying soon. I promise."

"You don't have to," Mustang whispered in his ear, "You're shaken up. That's completely understandable. Even the strongest of people are allowed to cry, Edward, especially after going through something like you just did. You're not weak. Al won't think so if he sees you cry. Hawkeye won't. No one on the team will. I sure as hell don't. I think you're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

Ed buried his face in Mustang's chest, unable to hold back his sobs. Those words meant more to him than the Colonel would ever understand.

Mustang let the young alchemist cry into his chest. He meant every word that he said, and he was glad Ed seemed to understand that. He rested his head on top of Ed's and his hold around the kid tightened.

"I can't believe I almost lost you."

He almost didn't realize he had said those words out loud, but it was true. He would have never been able to forgive himself if he hadn't found Ed in time. However, he didn't have to worry about that anymore.

Ed was in his arms and safe. In this moment, that's all that mattered to him. He wasn't sure how long the kid stayed in his embrace, but he would remain there for an eternity if that's what Ed needed.

Ed pulled away slightly, but not completely out of the hug. The tears had finally slowed down.

"Thanks for saving me, Colonel."

Mustang smiled down on the teen.

"Anytime."

Ed's eyes started to droop shut. The Colonel wasn't surprised. It had been a very long day for the boy. He gently let Ed out of the hug and lowered him back down against the pillow.

"Will you stay here with Al and I? Just for tonight?" Ed asked before he yawned.

"Of course."

In truth, he had been planning on doing so anyway. However, it felt nice to know that his youngest subordinate wanted him there.

His eyes darkened when his thoughts flickered to Roe. He didn't want to face the man again, but he knew he would have to. At least he would be able to face him knowing that his plan to have his subordinate murdered had failed.

He allowed a smirk to take over his face. There was no way he was going to let Roe get away with involving Ed like he did. He was going to make sure that man got what he deserved.

***the next day***

Nathaniel Roe eagerly awaited the arrival of Colonel Mustang. He genuinely smiled when the Colonel walked into the interrogation room. The man's face held a mixture of anger, confusion, and brokenness.

"Did you get my apprentice's little gift?"

Mustang said nothing as he sat down. A few moments of silence filled the room before the Colonel finally spoke up.

"Why was his appendix removed?"

Roe chuckled. He was more than happy to answer that for him.

"Eyes can be so beautiful, especially when filled with pain. Having one's appendix removed can be an excruciating procedure, but it won't necessarily kill you. Doing so allowed me to fill my doll's eyes with plenty of pain, but kept them alive until I was finished with them."

"Why were all of his teeth extracted?" Mustang asked next, his breath hitching at the end.

"Teeth aren't always perfect. Some are broken. Some are rotten. It was easier for me if I just got rid of them all."

Mustang buried his face in his hands, his body shaking. Roe couldn't believe the Colonel was sobbing in front of him.

"Why Edward?"

Roe almost didn't hear the question, but he was glad he did. The smile on his face turned almost demonic.

"I told you before, Colonel, you didn't let me finish my collection. When I heard that the Fullmetal Alchemist was under your command, I couldn't help myself." He paused and cocked his head to the side. "I've heard you care deeply for all of your men, but I've also heard about the legendary Flame and Fullmetal spats. I wasn't sure if you would take his death quite so hard, but I'm glad you are."

Mustang said nothing.

"How does it feel to know my apprentice is still out there? How does it feel to know there will be more victims, Colonel? This isn't ending at your subordinate. I hope-"

Roe abruptly stopped when the Colonel burst out laughing. Mustang removed his hands from his face, revealing that he had never been crying. He got up out of his chair and opened the door to the interrogation room. He was motioning to someone.

Roe froze as he saw Mustang's First Lieutenant bring Joseph in.

"It might interest you to know that we found Fullmetal last night," the Colonel began, "He's in the hospital right now. He has to remain there for a week due to his injuries, but he's okay other than that."

"I'm so sorry, Nathaniel," Joseph said as he bowed his head, ashamed to have failed his master.

Roe's disbelieving gaze shifted between Joseph and Mustang.

"Wait...but you…."

He couldn't even formulate a question. Mustang smirked and sat back down as Hawkeye led Joseph back out of the room. The man's face was absolutely priceless. It was obvious that he hadn't expected his plan to fail.

"I'm sorry if I deceived you earlier," Mustang said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest, "But I do have to thank you for finally answering some of our questions. We've already gotten quite a bit of information out of your apprentice. Those were the few questions that we didn't have answers to."

Roe looked down, unable to look the Colonel in the face any longer. Despite the lack of eye contact, Mustang continued.

"I've been thinking about why you warned me. I don't doubt that you wanted revenge, but I think you wanted me to know for sure that you were involved with my subordinate's abduction and murder. Well, I guess that's now attempted murder. I think you finally realized how close you are to death. Your execution is scheduled in a few weeks. I think you're scared."

Roe tensed. He finally looked Mustang in the eyes again. The cold glare in them was all he needed to see to confirm his suspicions.

"I think you told your apprentice to make another doll so you could go through another trial. I mean, why wouldn't you? You're the one who convinced him to do it. That would have delayed your execution. It honestly wasn't a bad plan, but I'm afraid it didn't work."

Roe's eyebrows shot up.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "There will still be a trial for the abduction and attempted murder of your subordinate."

The Colonel nodded and gave a noncommittal shrug.

"There will be for Joseph Haken. When he saw in the paper that you were about to be executed, he decided he would try to follow in your footsteps. He was your apprentice, after all. As far as I'm concerned, he worked alone and you didn't have any knowledge of his plans."

Rage flashed across Roe's face.

"You can't do that! I'm the one who told you that your subordinate was missing!" the killer roared.

Mustang leaned over the table, making sure he was mere inches away from the killer.

"It's your word against mine. Normally I wouldn't do such a thing, but you made one major mistake. You sent your apprentice after Edward Elric. That doesn't settle well with me at all."

He got up and headed toward the door. He grabbed the doorknob, but turned back one last time before turning it.

"It might also interest you to know I've been offered a position on the firing squad that's going to execute you. Initially, I was going to decline, but I think I'll take the offer after this little stunt you pulled."

The look of fear and despair that consumed Roe's face was so satisfying to see. With a smirk, he left the interrogation room.

***one week later***

"What the hell do you mean I have to stay here and help with paperwork?" Ed nearly yelled.

"Brother, please just do as he says."

Mustang rubbed his temples as Al tried to calm his enraged brother. From the sounds of it, Al was trying to reason with him, but Ed refused to hear him out.

"Fullmetal," he spoke up over the two bickering brothers, "You were just released from the hospital. There is no way I'm giving you a mission already. You need to rest and stay out of trouble. Even you can't find trouble in my office."

Ed's eyebrows rose.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, mischief obvious in his tone.

Mustang's eyebrows rose as well, mimicking the teen's exactly.

"One that you're sure as hell not going to accept."

Ed took a deep breath. Even though it came across as bantering, he knew deep down that the Colonel was just worried. After almost falling victim to a serial killer, he didn't exactly blame his superior. He turned to head toward the outer office.

"Fine," he muttered.

Once outside Mustang's office, he moved to shut the door.

"Keep it open."

Ed gave the Colonel a confused look, but did as he said. Mustang smiled to himself as he saw Ed take some papers from Hawkeye and sit down.

At least with the door open, he could keep an eye on Ed and make one hundred percent sure he was safe. Even if it was only for a few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! I hope you all enjoyed this short little tale. I've got a couple more fics I want to post here as well and plenty of other fics to write, so I'll be around! 
> 
> Until then,
> 
> alightintheshadows


End file.
